William grant lowrie



UNITED STATES Patented January 5, 1904.

PATENT A OFFICE.

ELECTRlC-RAlLWAY SYSTEM.

SPEGIFIUATIQN' forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 748,872, dated January 5, 1904.

Application filed June21,1901. Serial No. 65,425. on model.)

To aZ-whom, lit-may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM GRANT Low- RIE, a subject of the King of England, residing in the bqrough of Manhattan, city of New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Railway Systems, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad tothe drawings accompanying and forming part of the same.

My invention relates to improvements in 65,424, filed June 21, 1901, I have described the general form of my invention and have claimed certain general features thereof.

My present invention, relates tocert-ain novel arrangements of parts in connection with such a system, and its exact scope will be pointed out in the following specification and claims. I 1

In the accompanying drawings, in which like references designatesimilar parts in the various views, Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section through the conduit and trolley contained therein, the parts being shown partially in section and the position 01": the carmagnet being indicated above the conduit. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same along the line a; a: of Fig. 1. V

The conduit Bis composed of the members B, B and 13*, formed of suitably-prepared wood or othersuitable material and secured together in any desired order, so as to form a conduit, as indicated. -In practice this conduit is mounted along the line of the electric railway between the rails upon which the car moves and as close as practicable to the surface of the roadway A. As indicated in the drawings, the paving material isasphalt A; but any good road material may-be used, and the conduit is firmly embedded in the same or with suitable insulation material interposed. My system is of course equally applicable to use on elevated roads and in other places where the conduit need not be underground.

Within the conduit and supported on or by the side members B of the same is the conadjacent section C of the sectional contact rail, which is embedded in the paving material so that its upper surface is exposed, so

that through'any suitable contact-maker current may be supplied to the car. The adjoining section 0 of this contact-rail is sepa--- rated by suitable insulating-pieces C, as indicated. The sectional contact-rail is preferably considerably removed from the conduit, so that this rail may be made of iron or steel without in any way disturbing the magnetic control of the car-magnet over the trolley within the conduit; but by making it of non-magnetic conducting material it may be located above the conduit. If desired, the

contact-rail may be suitably insulated from the surrounding paving material, and I have indicated insulating material about the connector 0 Within the conduit there moves the trolley D, which is here shown as composed of a magnetic plate or armature D, by which are 9 D which form electrical contact-pieces with the conductors. These plates may be held in alinement bya casing D having proi loosely supported by bolts D a series of plates jections D between the plates. The plates themselves are suitably insulated, as shown D and from the individual casings for each plate D which may be used, if desired. plates D are here shown arranged to make contact with the lower surfaces of the condnctors G and 0. to maintain this I contact irrespective of whether the trolley is in the raised or-lowered position. The strength of the spring, howr-Phe A spring D may be used at D, from each other and from the casing.

D through the armature D to coils F, whichsurround suitable cores G G, forming electromagnets the poles of which correspond in position to the poles H H of the car-magnet H. The magnets on the trolley are thus in series with the main circuit. The lower surface of the armature D is suitably insulated from the upper surface of the conductors, as shown at D. Various other means may of course be used to keep the plates D in alinement and to connect their contactpieces D D in multiple and to make the desired connections through the same to the coils.

The use of the magnets on the trolley limits and strengthens the magnetic field between the car-magnets and the trolley and insures at all times an attraction between said magnet and troiley sufficient to make certain the prompt and thorough control of the trolley by the magnet under all conditions. In starting from a position of rest and in uphill Work the value of the trolleymagnets is apparent.

I do not intend to limit myself to the application of my invention to the particular form of trolley here illustrated, although I consider it a desirable form. This feature of my invention may be applied with equal advantage to various other forms of trolleyssuch, for example, as are illustrated in my application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 65,424, pending simultaneously herewithand, in fact, to any form of trolley arranged to move within a conduit under the influence of a car-magnet, irrespective of the arrangement of the trolley or of the conduit.

Another important feature of my invention herein illustrated is the arrangement of the conductors in the conduit. Instead of being vertically opposite to each other and at the top or at the bottom of the conduit they are supported by the side members of the conduit at a point between the top and bottom. This makes possible two desirable results,first,the armature may be located above the conductors and nearer the car-magnet, and, second, the bridge that forms the electrical connection between the conductors may be so joined to the armature that contact of the bridge upon the lower side of the conductors prevents the armature striking the top of the conduit and the contact of the armature upon the top of the conductors prevents the bridge striking the bottom of the conduit. No supports for the bridge therefore need be placed in the bottom of the conduit. Asaresult the conduit itself may be more shallow and compact. In cases where the trolleymagnets are not needed they may of course be omitted, the described arrangement of the conductors being independent thereof. Another advantage of this arrangement of conductors is that when desiredas, for example, when a heavy current is to be used and large contact-surfaces must be employeda second bridge may be introduced between the armature and the condnctors to make contact with the upper surfaces of the conductors. The second bridge may, if desired, be maintained in contact with the conductors by means of a spring similarly arranged to D When the trolleymagnets are not used, the plates D and the second bridge, if used, are preferably made of carbon and in the form of a disk; but any other suitable material or form may be used.

While I have shown a trolley having sliding bearings, I am aware that in suitable cases rolling bearings may be employed, and part of the traveling strain of the trolley may be carried by other parts of the conduit than the conductors as long as the bridge is adapted to be kept in sufficiently close contact with the conductors.

In using the term conduit I do not intend to limit myself to closed conduit, as for some purposes it may be desirable to omit one or more sides of the conduit and it is possible to support one or both conductors otherwise than by the side walls of the conduit and still have space for the armature above the conductors and for the bridge below them. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is a 1. Inan electric-railway system, a conduit having a continuous conductor located at one side thereof, an oppositely-located sectional conductor each section of which is electrically connected with a corresponding section of an external discontinuous feed-rail, atrolley located within said conduit and movable therein under the influence of acar-magnet, said trolley having an armature located above said conductors and upturned poles on the ends of the same to cooperate with the poles of said car-magnet, magnetizing-coils on said armature, and contact-pieces on said trolley to engage said conductors and connected in series with said magnetizing-coils to energize the same.

2. A magnetically-actuated trolley forming an electrical connection between a continuous conductor and the sections of a dis- 3. In a magnetically-actnated trolley, a bridge having portions of conducting material making an electrical contact connection between a continuous conductor and the sections of a discontinuous conductor, and having an insulating portion separating said contact portion, and an armature of magnetic material provided with cores that correspond to the poles of the actuating-magnet and are surrounded with coils connected in series with said conductors through the contact pieces of said bridge.

4:. In a magnetically-actuated trolley, an armature of magnetic material provided with cores that correspond to the poles of the actuatingmagnet and are surrounded with coils, a plurality of plates having conducting contact-pieces at their ends separated by insulating-pieces, said contact-pieces engaging a continuous conductor and the sections of a sectional conductor, means for electrically connecting said contact-pieces in multiple and for connecting said coils in series with said conductors through said contact-pieces.

5. In a magnetically-actuated trolley, an armature of magnetic material provided with cores that correspond to the poles of the actuatingmagnet and are surrounded with coils, a plurality of plates having conducting contact-pieces at their ends separated by in sulating-pieces, said contact-pieces engaging a continuous conductor and the sections of a sectional conductor, means for electrically connecting said contact-pieces in multiple and for connecting said coils in series with said conductors through said contact-pieces, and means for preventing said plates from getting out of alinement when said trolley is in motion.

6. In a magnetically-actuated trolley, an armature of magnetic material provided with cores that correspond to the poles of the act uatingmagnet and are surrounded with coils, a plurality of plates having conducting contact-pieces at their ends separated by insulating-pieces, said contact-pieces engaging a continuous conductor and the sections of a sectional conductor, means for electrically connecting said contact-pieces in multiple and for connecting said coils in series with said conductors through said contact-pieces, and a casing for said plates.

7. In an electrical-railway system, a conduit having a continuous conductor located at one side thereof, an oppositely-located sectional conductor each section of which is electrically connected with a corresponding section of an external discontinuous feed-rail, a trolley located within said conduit and movable therein under the influence of a carmagnet and having an armature located above said conductors and a contact-plate located below and engaging the under surfaces of said conductors, said armature having cores corresponding with the poles of said car-magnet and coils about said cores, and said plate having contact-pieces of conducting material insulated from each other; and means for electrically connecting said coils in series wit-h said conductors through the contact-pieces of said plate.

8. In an electrical-railway system, a conduit having a continuous conductor located at one side thereof, an oppositely-located sectional conductor each section of which is electrically connected with a corresponding section of an external discontinuous feed-rail, a trolley located within said conduit and movable therein under the influence of acar-mag net and having an armature located above said 'cond uctors, an d a contact-bridge located below the same.

9. In an electrical-railway system, a conduit having a continuous conductor located at one side thereof, an oppositely-located sectional conductor each section of which is electrio-ally connected with a corresponding section of an external discontinuous feed-rail, a trolley located within said conduit and mov-- able therein underthe influence of a carmagnet and having an armature, and a contact-plate located below and engaging the under surfaces of said conductors; said armature having cores corresponding with the poles of said car-magnet and coils about said cores, and said plate having contact pieces of conducting material insulated from each other, and means for electrically connecting said coils in series with said conductors through the contact-pieces of said plate.

11. In an electrical-railway system, a conduit having a continuous conductor located at one side thereof, an oppositely-located sectional conductor each section of which is electrically connected with a corresponding section of an external discontinuous feed-rail, a trolley located within said conduit and movable therein under the influence of a car-magnet and having an armature, and a contactplate located below and engaging the under surfaces of said conductors; said armature having cores corresponding with the poles of said car-magnet and coils about said cores, and said plate having contact-pieces of conducting material insulated from each other, and means for electrically connecting said coils in series with said conductors through the contact-pieces of said plate.

12. In an electrical-railway system, a conduit having a continuous conductor located at one side thereof, an oppositely-located sectional conductor each section of which is electrically connected with a corresponding sec- IIO -net and having an armature and contactbridges bearing on the horizontal surfaces of said conductors.

13. In an electric-railway system, aconduit having a continuous and sectional conductor therein, a trolley to move within said conduit under the influence of a car-magnet, a series of spring-pressed contact-plates on said trolley, means to maintain said contact-plates in alinement and to prevent the rotation of the same, said contactplates having contactpieces of conducting material engaging said conductors.

14. In an electric-railway system, a conduit containing conductors, a trolley to move within said conduit under the influence of a carmagnet, spring-pressed contact-plates on said trolley, means to maintain said contact-plates in alinement and to prevent the rotation of the same, said contact-plates having contactpieces of conducting material engaging said conductors under the combined influence of the spring-pressure upon them and said carmagnet.

15. In an electric-railway system, a closed conduit having a continuous and sectional conductor therein, a trolley to move within said conduit under the influence of a car-magnet, spring-pressed contact-plates on said trolley to engage said conductors, an armature having upwardly-projecting poles on its ends in alinement with the poles of said carmagnet to maintain the longitudinal aline ment of said trolley and said car-magnet as said trolley moves along said conduit and magnetizing-coils on said armature to energize the same.

WILLIAM GRANT LOWRIE.

Witnesses:

JOHN N. MOORE, JAMES N. CATLOW. 

